Hygiene/Health

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This morning my son (age 15) comes down to breakfast and keeps on looking at his left foot wondering what this brown stuff was on his foot. So, I took a look and found a clump of fecal matter on his other foot. He was horribly embarrassed and after I cleaned his feet off, he went to shower. I can't understand how in the world this happened. It never happened before. How could a kid not know what was on his foot and how in the world it got there? We have no pets. He is always clean and hygienic but today it was as if he had no self awareness. Has anyone experienced this with an older kid? Sometimes I wonder if he can't physically feel on certain points of his body due to a neuro problem. Recently, we have learned that he has scoliosis from looking at x-rays of his back. He recently had a foot x-ray due to an odd phantom pain that has no biological basis. The foot x-ray showed nothing. I'm starting to think that something might be going on with his health. I fear that this might be the beginnings of a disease process. Anyone??

I really have no idea what is happening with your son, but I had some serious back issues a few years ago that damaged my sciatic nerve. I can tell you that the pain can "jump" along the sciatic nerve. The sciatic nerve ends in the foot. Sometimes, I would get a shooting pain up through the bottom of my foot in the middle, like I had just stepped on a nail. Also, nerve damage can cause numbness. I still have numbness on the outside of my left calf because of the ordeal.

So, since you know he has scoliosis, maybe you should check to see if is affecting any nerves. There are tests that can identify the specific nerves affected.

Does he walk around barefoot a lot? I used to go barefoot all summer when I was a kid, and I could walk across driveway stones without feeling it.
Another possible explanation is diabetes. The pain in his foot could be nerve pain, and it would also explain the diminished sensation.
Or, there may be nothing particular going on. Maybe it was just a freak occurence.

Given the context, I can see why you are worried. I can't offer ideas on what it might be, but I would pursue it.

I don't have tons of feeling on the bottoms of my feet and I have very little feeling in one big toe. I'm not diabetic. They have been that way for years. If it was his fecal matter, then yea what's going on, but if he stepped in pet mess and didn't notice... I'd let it go unless it happens again. The shame from that could lead to issues.

I agree with that. I don't think there's anything to worry about. I know someone else this happened to age 14 and it was a one off and never happened again.